Video: Former Qatari midfielder Lami urges team to remember their 'responsibility'

Muscat: Former Qatar international footballer Adel Lami has asked his national team mates to remember what they are playing for, ahead of their 2019 Asian Cup semi-final clash against the United Arab Emirates.
Qatar face the hosts in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening, and 33-year-old Lami has used the opportunity to remind the players representing the country that they carry with them the hopes and dreams of Qataris everywhere.
“For me, every player who wears Qatar’s crest on his chest is excellent and deserving,” said the former midfielder. “Every player who wears it will be capable of carrying that responsibility. At the same time, my message to them is, if you wear that crest, you should know your responsibility.
“You should know that there are a lot of players who shed tears hoping that they would be able to wear this jersey,” added Lami, who was born in Kuwait but chose to represent Qatar after moving there in 1999. “Your role is to represent the people, and the same is true for other countries as well. The current team has some excellent players, and the footballing mentality of these players is very different, compared to the past.
A late 78th minute goal by Abdul Aziz Hatem gave the Qataris their first semi-final appearance of the tournament, stunning favourites South Korea in the process. Should Qatar beat the UAE, the hosts of the 2022 World Cup will face either Iran or Japan in their first ever Asian Cup final.
“What’s great about this current generation is that whichever Asian team they play against, regardless of their strength, they go into the game knowing that they are capable of defeating this team,” he said. “They have the maturity to deal with the big and important games.”